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Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Culmore community comes together to remember slain immigrant

About 200 people came to a candlelight vigil Sept. 5 to
remember Filaberto Filipe Paz Ramirez, the young man murdered last week, and to promote
peace and healing in the Culmore community.

Paz, age 26, left behind a wife and child in Guatemala. He
had only been in the United States for about seven months. He worked as a day
laborer and volunteered at the mobile food pantry that serves the Culmore area.
“He was very well regarded,” says Claudia Quevedo, a community organizer with
the Seven Corners-based Legal Aid Justice Center.

At the vigil, there were prayers from a Catholic priest, songs, and statements from
family and friends of Paz and community leaders. He has a sister and uncle who
live in Northern Virginia. A funeral service is scheduled for Sept. 11.

“It was really nice to see the community come together,”
Quevedo says. “There is a lot of fear” in the area about gangs and immigration
authorities, as most of the community is Hispanic. Many people come from
countries where the police are not trusted, and some Culmore residents don’t
understand the difference between police and immigration agents.

Paz’s body was discovered on the grounds of
Olde Salem Village just after 2 a.m. on Sept. 1. According to a police
statement, there was trauma to the upper body.

Fairfax County Police have not made
any arrests in the murder nor issued a statement about the possible motive.
Many in the community think it might be gang related, however, Quevedo says. Crime Solvers will pay $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and
indictment.
More than a dozen people spoke at the vigil, and “it was amazing to the large
number of people who came out,” she says. One resident spoke about the need to
fight crime and urged residents to not be afraid to speak up if they see
anything suspicious.

“We came here for better conditions, primarily for our kids;
let’s do it for them,” one resident said, according to Quevedo. Another person
spoke about how he changed his life since coming here because of the support
from the community.

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